Giancarlo di Risio has been the Chief Executive of the famous Versace brand since 2004. He is now expected to resign at a board meeting tomorrow.Versace has been able to remain afloat in the recent economic crisis despite its price tag. The company hired an outside consultant this year to help it devise a new management plan for weathering the economic crisis. The company said last month that first-quarter revenue had fallen 13 percent from a year earlier, though it still had managed “a positive net result.” It hired Bain & Company, a consulting company, to draw up a three-year business plan for the changed economic environment, and the board adopted the plan last month.

Now we shall see who the new management shall be for Versace.

I did not know what to expect going into Matthew Williamson, I was barely familiar with his clothes and had never seen him show before. However as soon as the first look came out, a tan and pink dress with a beautiful multi-colored cocoon jacket I knew I was going to love the collection, and I did. It was easily my favorite collection of the week, perhaps my favorite I’ve ever seen. Despite being a fall/ winter collection there was barely any black, however the clothing still had some dark colors, created by Williamson’s deft combination of color over color. He played with different prints including stripes, animal and geometric shapes- and even when all those prints were combined on one look, it somehow still worked. He was not afraid to play around with many different styles, showing short dresses, long dresses, pants, capes, jackets and even more. However all the looks were held together by the amazing color palate of corals, blues, pinks, and tan.

The tents were buzzing with energy before the Narciso show; this was his grand return to Bryant Park after leaving in 2005 to show in Chelsea. While celebrities lined the catwalk once the lights went down and then back up an extremely bright intensity all eyes immediately focused on the clothes. Rodriguez played with the typical dress silhouette by using cut-outs, straps, and excess fabric. While the focus of the collection was definitely black he infused colors such as silver, blue, gold, and pink, which kept the black from being staid. He also showed a few full outfits of wither pink, yellow, or purple. The best part of the show however came at the end with the last three dresses. Each had a similar shiny- leather looking corset- like top and a fun light pink, mango, or sparkling black free flowing skirt. These were absolutely stunning and showed growth in Narciso’s style. They were so great in fact, that Rachel Weisz wore the last dress to Vanity Fairs Oscar party only a few weeks later.

The summer season is beginning to heat up with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim a few weeks away. Supermodels and celebrities will come together on the runways of Miami Beach to celebrate fashion and beauty with the sexiest swimwear designs in the world, July 15-19, 2009.

“We are proud to welcome so many new designers to our roster this year,” said SVP of IMG Fashion, Fern Mallis. “In its fifth season, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim has become a strong and effective platform to showcase the finest swimwear collections and their talented designers from around the world. This season’s line-up continues to bring to the market the quality and ingenuity that people now expect from this show.”

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim kicks off with an official kickoff party on the 15th, followed by four consecutive days of shows by featuring collections from Tibi, Caffé Swimwear, Marysia Swim, True Religion Swim, Red Carter, Aqua di Lara, L*Space by Monica Wise, Ed Hardy Swimwear, White Sands Australia, Poko Pano, Xtra Life Lycra®, Cia.Marítima, Luli Fama and V Del Sol.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at Miami Beach’s historic hotel The Raleigh, will present three venues, the Cabaña Grande, the Beachway and the Oasis, accessed via an event lobby on Collins Avenue at 18th Street, adjacent to the hotel’s main entrance. Over the course of five days, 12,000 journalists, buyers and VIPs will be in South Florida to experience the most elite swimwear event in the country.

Mercedes-Benz, the event’s title sponsor, is joined by American Express, DHL, LYCRA®, MAKE UP FOR EVER, The Raleigh, Conair, Bain de Soleil, Continental Airlines Inc., Peroni, Chambord, Ocean Drive Magazine, Miami.com, California Apparel News Waterwear and Getty Images.

Further details and announcements on this event will follow.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2010 Collections will be held July 15 to 19, 2009.  For more information, and for press and industry registration, please visit us online at www.mbfashionweek.com/miami.